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| Jason Knight, who served nearly five years in the U.S. Navy, says he was returned to active duty and served in Kuwait last year after coming out to a commanding officer and being discharged in 2005. (Photo courtesy of Knight) |
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HOME > NEWS > NATIONAL NEWS
By: PHIL LAPADULA COMMENTS
 
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Stripes story appeared. After the Navy learned that Knight had spoken to the media about his sexual orientation, he was discharged for violating “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Cohen said.
“Following the letter and spirit of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, we had to address it,” she said. “The Navy respects the individual’s private life. We do not ask questions.” But she said the policy also requires gay service members to keep quiet about their sexual orientation.
Knight said that when he came out to his commanding officer in January 2005, he was clearly told that he had violated “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and would be discharged under the policy.
“They had started the legal paperwork in March [2005],” he said. “And I called [Servicemembers Legal Defense Network] to see what my rights were.”
Knight said it’s possible that his commanding officer purposely omitted any mention of his sexual orientation in his service record because he had completed his four-year enlistment and had a good service record. But he thinks it is more likely that it was an error because he said there had been other errors of omission in his record.
Steve Ralls, a spokesperson for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which is dedicated to ending the military’s ban on openly gay service members, said Knight’s case challenges the Navy’s rationale for the policy.
Knight said he plans to attend medical school in Georgia. He is also working with SLDN to lift the ban on openly gay service members. He plans to travel to Washington in June to speak to members of Congress about repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Knight would not be the first gay soldier to serve openly in the U.S. military. In 1992, Keith Meinhold came out on ABC’s “World News Tonight” show. The Navy initiated discharge proceedings against him. Meinhold fought it in court and won. But that was before the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was put into effect. Meinhold was returned to active duty and served openly for four years.
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